Times Change, But These Memories Won't Fade
by stylecreekclybe
Summary: Stan and Wendy have had another fight, but this time, it's really over. How will he handle it? Stan/Wendy; Stan/Kyle; Clyde/Bebe; Kenny/Red; Craig/Tweek; Cartman/Wendy; Token/Nichole; More pairings may come in later.
1. Chapter 1

KYLE

I walked down the hall toward Stan's locker. As I got closer I noticed him standing there with-surprise!-Wendy. They were arguing. Again. They were always in some sort of fight. I had no idea how they were still together after all the shouting they did at one another. It just pissed me off so much to see how upset Stan was all the time. I wondered if I should walk away and leave the two of them alone, but then I noticed that a crowd had started to form around the set of lockers. I could hear the two of them shouting now.

"If it isn't a big deal then just answer my question! What were you doing at Clyde's house?" Stan was obviously really upset this time, and he sounded like he was on the edge of tears.

"I can't believe you don't trust me! We were just talking!"

"Really? That's funny because Token walked by the house last night and has assured me that you two were doing a whole lot more than talking." A gasp erupted from the small crowd and was immediately followed by murmuring.

Even from a few meters away I could see the blush creeping up Wendy's cheeks. Stan saw it too.

"I knew it!" he shouted. "How could you?"

Wendy ignored him. She wasn't going to back down. "I'm serious! We were just talking about Bebe!"

"Oh? What plans did you come up with to lie to her? Well? I'm sure everyone here would love to know." The confidence had returned to his voice, and Wendy was the one attempting to hold back tears.

"I-I…" Wendy trailed off. She didn't know what to say. I didn't know why, but that gave me a certain amount of satisfaction. I guess I was just glad that Stan was finally standing up to her.

We heard a door slam and turned to see a furious Bebe, her face red with rage, Clyde running after her. Behind them, through the closing door, I could see a smug-looking Cartman watching with that infuriating grin plastered on his face. I glared at him while Bebe made her way through the growing crowd. When the door finally shut, I turned back to the scene playing out in front of me.

"Is it true?" Bebe screeched, the hurt obvious in her voice. She made her way to stand by Stan, facing a speechless Wendy. Clyde finally caught up to the crowd and pushed his way through everyone, breathing heavily. When he reached the inside of the circle to where Bebe was standing, he bent over in a desperate attempt to catch his breath.

Bebe ignored him, still glaring at Wendy, who had now burst into tears. She nodded in defeat. "Unbelievable!" Stan shouted. He turned around and walked away, his expression obvious: He was done.

"I didn't believe them," Bebe was practically shouting. "I told everyone: 'Wendy wouldn't do that. She isn't that sort of person.' But you are Wendy. You _are_ that person. And now I'm going to make your life hell. I'm going to KILL YOU!" She lost it. She attacked Wendy-kicking and punching her until she was bloody-and she didn't stop. Clyde, who had now recovered from his coughing fit, tried to pry Bebe away, but only succeeded in getting her to turn on him. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" She shoved him down and made it back to her feet, her breathing ragged and her face filled with rage. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" She ran from the building, the crowd instantly parting to let her pass.

Clyde struggled to stand, then ran out the door after Bebe, mumbling under his breath. The crowd dispersed shortly after, everyone heading back to their houses, but the whispers continued. I rolled my eyes. I hated drama. As I turned and walked away, I nearly ran into Kenny, who looked as if he had just run a marathon.

"What's going on? I heard the shouting from the gym!"

I told him all of what I had just observed as we walked out of the school. When I finished, ten minutes had passed.

"Man," Kenny breathed. "That's fucked up."

I nodded. "But you know how it is. They'll be back together in a week." I attempted to hide the irritation in my voice, but Kenny could tell how annoyed I was.

"You're probably right, but, Kyle, you know how upset he's going to be."

"Yeah, I know," I sighed. As annoyed as I was, I knew Stan was going to come to me to talk. He always did.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Later, Ken." We parted ways and I headed back to my house.

"Hey mom," I said as I walked in the house.

"Hello Kyle. How was school?" She sounded distracted. I walked into the kitchen and saw her standing there rustling through her purse.

"It was fine. What are you looking for?"

"I'm just trying to find the car keys so you can take Ike to see that movie with his friend." Crap. I totally forgot about that.

"Well, I was actually wondering if we could do that a different day. Stan just-"

"Kyle, you promised to take them to this movie, now go!" She thrust the keys into my hand and started to usher me out of the kitchen and toward the door.

"But-"

"Ike!" she called, cutting off my sentence. When he came downstairs he grabbed my arm and started to pull me out the door. I tried to shake him off but eventually gave up and allowed him to yank my arm toward the car.

"I'm coming! Let go of me!"

"Hurry up, Kyle! It starts in ten minutes!"

We got into the car and headed just down the street to pick up the other kid, whose name I didn't bother to remember. I suffered through the movie, not really paying attention. I rushed them out afterward, only one thought on my mind. As I practically dragged them out to the car, I noticed that the sky had darkened. I mumbled under my breath as I drove the other kid back to his house. As we reached his driveway I stopped and waited for him to get out.

"Ike!" I called.

"Yeah?" He responded.

"I don't have time to take you back to our house," I said, already pulling out of the driveway.

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I'M IN A HURRY!" I shouted. That seemed to silence him for the three minutes it took us to drive to the beaten up house down the street.

"KENNY!" I yelled, hurrying toward the door. Just as I reached it, it began to open, and I saw Kenny standing there, Karen behind him.

"Oh, thank God," he breathed. "It's just you." He looked relieved until he caught sight of the fear in my eyes. "Kyle…? What is it? What happened?" I didn't respond. "Stan is with you guys, right?"

I shook my head, tears forming behind my eyes. "I'm about to go over there, but I need someone to watch Ike. Are your parents home?"

"No, it's just Karen and I. They're probably with Kevin getting drunk somewhere." The anger in his voice was obvious, but he pushed it back. "I'll watch him, just hurry. He could be anywhere by now."

"Thanks, dude," I said, rushing back to the car, which I had left on. He gave a nod of acknowledgement from the door grimacing. The message he was giving me was clear: _Good luck_. I rushed over to Stan's, practically running to the door. I didn't knock, just ran in. He would be the only one there.

"Stan? Stan!" He didn't respond. I tore through the house, but he wasn't there. Shit. I refused to acknowledge what I already knew. _No, he's just… He's with Craig, Token, Tweek… Someone! He isn't wandering around, drunk, like he is every other time. _But I knew otherwise, and this time I hadn't gotten there early enough to help him. Who knew where he was by now? He'd had hours to wander off, with nobody there to stop him.

The tears had spilled over now, clouding my vision. I pulled the car over to the side of the street and stepped out into the falling snow. I had already checked at the bar, the crappy diner, as well as both Craig and Tokens' houses. I couldn't think of anywhere else he would be. I sat on the freezing ground and attempted for the 13th time to call his cellphone, and once again he didn't answer. I didn't expect him to, but I was desperate. The sun had set long ago, and I knew I would have hell to pay when I got back to my house. The truth of it didn't seem to matter, though. If I managed to track Stan down, the whole damn ordeal would pay off. But I couldn't track him down. I couldn't find him. At this very moment, he could be unconscious, hurt, or…

"Stop it Kyle!" I scolded myself. My voice was hoarse from calling his name. I had been calling out for him all night, and there was never an answer. Just the empty silence, reminding me that I hadn't found him, that he was still on his own-drunk. I started to walk down the path laid out in front of me, simply out of habit. I walked until my parents' car disappeared behind me, and I didn't stop. What was the point? Stan was gone, possibly dying, or already dead, so why did it matter if I got myself lost? If I went back to my house, and then back to school on Monday, only to find he wasn't there…

Well, that was just it, wasn't it? It didn't matter where I wandered off. If Stan wasn't with me, I was lost, no matter where I was. My mind went back to all those fights we'd had over the years. It was always over something stupid, like the "ultimate next generation gaming system." None of the fights had actually mattered, but they always left me feeling empty, like the one thing I cared for most in the world had been ripped from my hands.

I remembered all the times we'd walked this path together; Not just Stan and I, but all four of us. That was before Stan started drinking, before I reserved my every spare moment for schoolwork, and before Kenny started to spend larger and larger amounts of time on his own. Everything had changed, and, though we refused to admit it, we were all growing apart. Before we knew it, a year would pass and we'd all go our separate ways for college. I wasn't ready to leave them. I wasn't ready to leave South Park, Kenny-or Stan. I didn't want to leave Stan. We'd known each other our whole lives, and, even as everything else changed, we'd always had each other. It had always been me and Stan… and now he could be gone…

I stopped at a fork in the road, deciding whether or not I was ready to admit defeat and face whatever were to come. I determined that I wasn't ready to make any decision at all. I just needed to go back in time to when everything had been so easy. I turned left, toward South Park's small elementary school, the home of some of my sweetest memories. I hadn't approached the building in years but I wanted to-no, needed to-see it. Just one more time. One last glance before going back to all the changes.

The crumbling brick of the building filled me with longing for the past. Seeing it wasn't enough. I put my hands on the wire fence, testing its strength. I climbed over and was met with the old playground, completely and exactly as it was six years ago when I stood here last. I was startled out of my thoughts by the voice I had been seeking all night.

"Kyle?"

"Stan! Where are you?" He was here. He was okay. I could feel the crushing weight of fear lifted from my shoulders.

"I'm over here!" He shouted. I turned to see him on one of the rusting swings, waving half-heartedly.

I jogged over to him and sat in the neighboring swing. "What brings _you_ here?" I asked nervously.

"Fear. Anger. Frustration. Longing. What about you?"

"Fear?" I inquired, ignoring his question. "Of what? Certainly not of Wendy," I joked.

He smiled a little, staring down at the ground. "No, not Wendy. The future." He looked up at me, as if evaluating my thoughts.

"Well," I said, running my hand through my hair. "I guess we have that in common."

"Everything's changing, Kyle. I hate it."

"I know how you feel, but running from your problems and avoiding phone calls isn't going to solve anything," I reasoned.

"I just wanted to get away for a while."

"Stan, I get that you're upset about Wendy-"

"Jesus Christ, Kyle! Not everything is about Wendy! She doesn't make me happy, okay? Apparently I didn't make her happy either! It's over." He finished with a sigh. He sounded exhausted.

"Wait a minute! You weren't happy? In the past year, when you two haven't been fighting, that's the happiest I've ever seen you!" I was getting sick of his drama. Why was he so frustrated?

"Yeah, well, that wasn't because of Wendy!" He practically shouted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. I was getting pretty pissed off now.

"Oh my god! You're so clueless!" He laughed. He looked...anxious. I couldn't see why. "I care about you, Kyle! _You_ make me happy!"

"I care about you, too. You're my best friend, Stan."

"You're so stupid," he smiled, moving toward me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders pulling me close to him. He leaned forward and our lips connected, his arms enveloping me. I froze, surprised at his sudden action. Then, slowly, I responded, kissing him back as I realised that this was what I had been waiting for all those years. It was true that everything was changing, but this was one change that I didn't mind.

I'd always cared about Stan in a way different from how I did others, but had always dismissed my feelings as petty drama. I couldn't deny it here, at the old elementary school playground, as I kissed him with a passion I'd never felt for anyone else before. We pulled apart, breathing heavily.

"Are you drunk, or is this actually happening?" I blushed, laughing. He winked at me and I pulled him back toward me. We kissed again. And again. I lost track of time and the world around us as we proceeded in changing everything between us. After who-knows-how-long, we decided to head back to our houses. We walked, hand-in-hand to his house. Before he disappeared behind the door, he turned to me.

"Kyle, I'm not drunk," he said seriously. "I just love you."

I blushed uncontrollably. I could tell that he was telling the truth, and it thrilled me. As I went back to pick up Ike, and, in fact, for the rest of the night, I couldn't wipe the excited smile from my face. When all of your wildest dreams come true, you smile a little.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been pretty busy, and when I have had time to write, I've been skipping between a ton of little pieces I've been working on finishing. Hopefully I can get a few of those up soon! In other news, while I was originally just going to upload the first chapter as a one-shot, I kept writing with the idea and I've decided to continue the story as a multi-chapter. There're going to be a lot more pairings introduced as the story progresses. If I get some positive reviews, I'll continue it. As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

CRAIG

We were on Tweek's bed, sitting as the spazzy blond boy ranted about his recent bouts of anxiety. Usually, I'd be listening intently, interrupting him at certain points to reassure him that he had nothing to worry about. The skeptical look of relief on his face would let me know that I had told him exactly what he wanted to here. That was what he needed, right now.

But I'd had a really fucking exhausting week. It was time to be a bit selfish.

Tweek was stopped mid-sentence by my lips crashing into his. He froze for a second, before settling back down to place his slightly twitchy hands against my back.

I kissed him with passion, biting gently into his lower lip, causing him to let out a desperate moan. That seemed to renew his energy as he pushed against me with a confidence uncharacteristic for him. His thin fingers trailed their way up my back, neck, and into my hair. His fingers dug into my scalp. Oh God, did I need this right now.

Wasting no time, i requested entry into the blond's mouth, running my tongue over the boy's thin lips. Tweek's mouth opened slightly as he let out a small whimper, allowing me to slip my tongue into his mouth. I swirled it around, over his teeth and against his own, ignoring the need for oxygen.

When the demand became too much, we reluctantly pulled apart, panting in each others' embrace.

But I wasn't finished. Removing my hand from his light hair, I began to unbutton his trademark olive-green shirt. Ripping it away from his frail form, I leaned my head down, my slightly-overgrown hair brushing lightly against his pale chest. I trailed my tongue down his stomach, causing him to tense with anticipation. Continuing on my trail, I paused as I reached his dark jeans, and I placed my hands on his delicate hipbones, teasing him just a little longer.

"Mmm…" he cried. "Craig….please…."

"I'm getting there…" I purred, rubbing my thumbs along his soft, smooth skin. Slowly, I allowed my gaze to lower to his dark skinny jeans.

I began to fumble with the button, distracted by the feeling of his hands under my shirt, his nails digging into the skin below my shoulder blades. Just as I finished undoing the button of his pants, I heard the sound of a turning doorknob. The door was opened to reveal a familiar orange jacket and red curls.

"OH! OH JESUS!" Tweek jumped back, frantically pulling up the sheets to cover his now shirtless form. He looked scared, like he was about to burst into tears. I wanted to pull him toward me, to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. And that mad me mad.

"Damn it, Broflovski!" I shouted. "Can't you fucking knock?"

"I-I can come back later-" he stuttered nervously.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" I growled, making my way to my feet. Tweek sprung into action, grabbing my hand in a futile attempt to calm me down. I took a deep breath, but I was still shaking.

"Craig, c-calm down...please…" I turned to look at him. His eyes found mine, and for a moment we just stood there, holding a silent conversation. I scanned his light green eyes as he stared right back into my blue ones. Slowly, my gaze travelled to his white blond hair, which was noticeably more disheveled than usual. Then I observed the features of his face, before looking back down into his eyes once again. I forgot all about Kyle, about my anger, and the rest of the world. He was the only thing that mattered. The boy I loved. He was everything to me and I wanted to protect him.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard Kyle clear his throat from where he still stood just inside the doorway. We both turned to face him, and I felt Tweek latch onto my hand.

"I'm just gonna leave," the redhead muttered awkwardly, turning away.

"Like hell!" I snapped, breaking free of the blond's soft grip on my wrist. Kyle was _not _going to go run off and tell his asshole friends about this.

In two steps I was at the doorway. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him roughly back into the small bedroom. I slammed the door shut behind us.

"Craig, what the fuck?" he shouted. I glared down at him from my nearly five inch height advantage. I heard Tweek's voice behind me.

"They were always g-going to-GAH-figure it out eventually," he whispered weakly. I flinched a bit as he spoke. His tics always got worse when he was nervous. He had started to shake, and I hated how vulnerable he sounded.

"Look, you guys-"

"Shut it," I cut him off. "I'm-no, _we're_-going to talk, and _you're_ gonna _listen_." I'd beat the shit out of him if I had to. His group was bad news. We'd never been friends. Even back in elementary school we'd had a feud. But I wasn't going to let them touch Tweek. I'd protect him in every way that I could.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak again, I felt a tug on my arm. I turned to see the shortest of the three of us looking at me pleadingly.

Why don't you g-get us some c-coffee?" he asked me. "I-I'll talk to Kyle."

I hesitated, looking between the two. Tweek's eyes met mine, and I could see him silently urging me to leave. Glancing behind me, I made my way to the door. Tweek smiled at me in a way that was meant to be reassuring, but did nothing to help calm my nerves.

I sighed loudly, still feeling a bit irritated as I made my way across the house's second floor hallway. This place had become just as much, if not more, of a home than even my own house.

The Tweaks' place followed the same basic design of all the other houses in town, but was much cleaner. Everything had its place within these beige and white walls. I used to feel nervous that I would mess something up, but I had quickly memorised the precise system of organization.

I stepped into the kitchen, turning on one of the five (yes, five) coffee makers. I filled up the water, placed a filter and looked through the over-sized selection of coffee in the top cabinet. I selected some expensive name brand I had never heard of and measured out the grounds, filling the filter. I closed the lid and started the machine.

While I waited for the coffee to brew, I got out three standard-sized ceramic mugs. I may have liked to make it seem like I was an emotionless drone, but, in that moment, I was terrified. I liked being in control of situations, and I had no idea what was about to happen. I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding and ran a hand tiredly through my hair.

After a few moments, I tried to listen for any conversation above me. I couldn't hear anything, so I gave up and turned back to the coffee, countless scenarios crowding my brain, giving me a headache. I poured the cups, adding a bit of sugar to mine, knowing that Tweek liked plain black coffee and not really caring about Kyle's preference. I arranged the mugs awkwardly in my arms so that I could carry all three of them upstairs with me at once. I made my way back to and up the staircase, careful not to spill even the smallest drop on the pristine white carpeting.

I paused outside the closed door, straining once again to hear the conversation going on inside. I heard muffled laughter, but couldn't make out any of the words being exchanged. I carefully turned the knob, practically juggling the three cups in my grasp. Wasting no time, I immediately placed the three mugs on Tweek's dresser.

As soon as he laid eyes on me, Kyle burst out laughing once more. I scowled at him.

"What?" I asked defensively. The redhead ignored me, turning back around to acknowledge the thin boy sitting next to him, who was blushing bright red. I couldn't help but notice the devilish grin on the short blonde boy's face. "What did you tell him?" I asked again, confused.

"Amusement park," Tweek said, smiling widely, "Eighth grade."

Instantly, I became the one blushing a vibrant shade of red. "Y-you told him about that?"

"H-hey, I w-was just breaking the i-ice, you know?"

"No! You can't tell him about-"

"How much of a total pussy you were being?" Kyle interrupted us, interjecting between fits of snickering.

"In my defense," I began, only to be cut off once again, this time by the notes of a generic default ringtone. The laughter stopped abruptly at the sound.

Kyle pulled out his sleek, modern-generation smartphone, undeniably the culprit of the noise.

"D-damn!" Tweek giggled. "Nice phone!"

"Supposedly," The redhead grumbled in reply. "Can't even figure out how it works most of the time. Shit! How do you check messages?"

"H-here, l-let me see it." Tweek said confidently, reaching his hand out for the cell phone. Kyle obliged.

I chuckled a bit at this. "Wow. You can hack into the fucking CIA database but you can't figure out your cell phone?"

Before Kyle could respond, Tweek let out a cry of victory. "I-I got it!" he said excitedly, handing Kyle back his phone.

"Wow." I said. "Outsmarted by a coffee shop barista."

Tweek laughed, coming over to sit on my lap. "Y-you know you love i-it," he grinned.

"Fuck yeah, I do," I said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well shit, guys, I've gotta go," Kyle interjected. "That was my mom. I've gotta be there in five minutes or I'm dead." He started to shove things back into his messenger bag, and in almost record time was at the door.

"B-Bye, Kyle!"

"Later, Tweek." He responded nonchalantly. "Craig," he added, almost as an afterthought. With that, he was out the door, closing it behind him.

"I can't believe you told him that! What else did you tell him!?" I whined loudly. I frowned when I didn't get an answer. Tweek looked at me, and our eyes locked once more. This time, though, he looked sad. I felt a wave of protectiveness wash over me, and instantly my hand was on his shoulder, words flooding out of my mouth.

"What? What is it? What happened? Are you okay, what'd he say to you? I swear, if he-"

"He didn't do anything!" My less than eloquent speech was cut off by Tweek's loud, angry reply. He wasn't like this often, so I knew he had to be upset. But why? With who?

"-Then what's wrong? You're obviously mad, just tell me why!"

"I-I'm not mad!" He replied defensively. "Just...disappointed, I guess."

"Disappointed?" I mimicked dumbly.

"Y-You were really mad when Kyle came i-in," he said, as if this explained everything.

"I just wanted to make sure he wasn't going to tell everyone about us."

"Y-yeah, I know, but w-would that really be so-GAH!-bad?" He looked up at me, so nervous that his tics started up again at nearly twice their usual intensity. "I m-mean i-it's like you're a-ashamed of it! O-Of me. Keeping this thing secret from everyone is gonna make my head explode! I-It's way too much fucking pressure, man! I m-mean I get why, but Kyle's not g-gonna tell anyone! Jesus Christ, I'm s-supposed to be the paranoid one!"

"Why would you think that, Tweek?" I ask gently, frowning at him. I hoped that changing the tone of my voice could calm him down, at least a bit. It usually worked, so I continued. "Not going public about this has nothing to do with me being ashamed of you!"

"Th-Then what the h-hell?" He sputtered.

"I'm not ashamed of you, I'm ashamed of this shithole of a town we live in." He smiled a bit at that. "Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted…?" I asked, smirking as I crawled back over his thin, pale form. As his light arms wrapped around my neck, I felt the anxiety all melt away.


End file.
